A workshop discussion revealed the importance of creating safe spaces where people can openly share experiences, seek guidance, and find support.
The issue
The sudden loss of a key family member carries a great deal of sorrow. But when that person was also the primary decision maker and business manager, the emotional toll is even greater. Navigating a new position in the business, maintaining farm operations, managing finances, and making decisions can leave family members feeling isolated without adequate support. Although these themes were not the intended focus for our recent workshop, appropriate planning and preparation allowed for unforeseen conversations to emerge and bring meaningful connections to the event.
The solution
The Farm Business and Xero Efficiencies workshop was held in Temora on the 9th of April. This was a Landcare led workshop funded through the Local Land Services Climate-Smart Agriculture funding project. Presented by Carmen Quade from Agrifocused, the workshop was a hands-on demonstration for participants to improve their knowledge in bookkeeping, payroll, invoicing, tax coding, emails, and using the Xero software platform more efficiently. The topic was very well received by 20 participants, predominantly made up of women from farming families. A group learning environment, centred on peer-to-peer learning, encouraged shared experiences, group bonding and built trust between participants. This was a dynamic that Carmen Quade excels at within her workshop presentation.
The impact
This supportive atmosphere was demonstrated through the lunch discussion, where women shared the recent loss of a husband, father and farm business manager in a vulnerable moment. The space allowed for the women present to connect through honest discussion about grief, resilience, and how they moved through the stages of farm business succession in a time of loss.
While the workshop was very successful, with participants going home with gained skills, it was the added emotional reassurance and guidance that stood out. The participants feeling understood, and not alone in facing these circumstances, became one of the most valuable outcomes of the day. It demonstrated the importance of creating an environment where people are comfortable to share and reinforced the strength of agricultural networks for providing support to overcome challenging times.
Inspired by the conversations and the clear need for ongoing support, our future follow up workshop will focus on succession planning and strengthening the networks that help farming families prepare for change.
Case Study: Conversations that matter
Author: Brittany Hicks
Capacity building – LEP23_036_LLC4_10